No Regrets
by Nienna Tinehtele
Summary: When Stella gets hurt Flack realizes that life is too short to not take a chance for what you want most. To have no regrets
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from CSI NY. Just borrowing them for a little while :)

Thanks so much to all those who have reviewed and supported my other stories so far :) you guys are awesome! Thank you so much. Keep it up!

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"NYPD!" Flack and Mac burst through the apartment door, guns at the ready. Moving quickly through the apartment to the living room both stopped in shock at the sight.

On the floor lay Stella's boyfriend Frankie with three bullet holes in his chest. A few feet away was Stella. Panic grabbed him by the throat at the sight of Stella lying so still on the floor.

"Stella!" Rushing over to her Flack knelt and pressed his fingers to her neck, checking for a pulse. Relieved to find one, albeit weak, he shouted, "I got a pulse. Call for EMS!" as he turned back to Stella he could hear Mac in the background radioing for the paramedics. Rolling her to her back he did a brief check.

"Oh God! Stell? Stella? Can you hear me?" Fear mixed with anger pulsed through him as he saw the bruises on her face that looked to be from a fist. Running his hands down her arms he saw the lacerations on her wrists and there were cuts and abrasions covering her arms and hands. She looked like she had put up a hell of a fight. Brushing her hair back from her face, he took a deep breath and tried to push the worry and fear into the background. He couldn't lose her now. He'd never told her how strong his feelings were for her. She saw him as just a good friend, but he was totally and completely in love with her. If she didn't make it through this…he wouldn't get the chance to finally tell her and he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He looked up as Mac approached, "EMS will be here in a few. Is she ok?"

Flack nodded, "Yea I think so, but we need to get her to the hospital soon. No idea what kind of internal injuries she might have. Looks like she put up a hell of a fight though."

"She's strong Don. She'll pull through." Just then the paramedics came through the door forcing Don out of the way so they could check her and get her loaded onto the gurney.

Flack watched numbly as they started out the door. He turned at the hand on his shoulder.

Mac looked at him with compassion, "Why don't you ride with her to the hospital?"

Flack nodded slowly. "Yea…ok. You got everything here then?"

Mac gave him a small push. "Go we'll be fine. The team is coming and I'll give Angell a call too. She'll want to be here to help. We got it covered. Go."

Don turned and followed the paramedics down and out of the building. He watched as they put Stella in the ambulance and he climbed in after her. He sat down near her head and picked up her hand. Wrapping both his hands around hers he brought it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on it.

"I love you Stella. And if we get through this I promise I'm not gonna waste another day. I'm gonna tell you how I feel. Life is too short and I've been wasting time not telling you." His voice cracked with emotion. "I would regret it forever if something happened to you and I never told you how I felt. I love you Stella."

Emotion overwhelmed him as he bowed his head until his forehead was touching their hands.

Slightly, so slight he almost didn't feel it, Stella's fingers squeezed his hand.

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This isn't going to be a full length story...but i wanted to do a few chapters. So there is more to come! Please, please, please review! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

Once again I own nothing of CSI NY. Sadly I don't own Flack…though I wish I did! But I do not…just borrowing them!

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"Don…Don."

The sound of the soft voice coming from somewhere above him and the fingers running gently through his hair finally wrestled Flack out of the exhausted sleep he had finally fallen into. Blinking slowly he realized his head was resting on a hospital gurney. Then he noticed that his hand was holding another's, but was definitely more feminine.

He shot upright quickly as everything came rushing back. The call out to Stella's place, the blood, Frankie dead, and Stella lying on the floor so still. The fear and panic that had hit him before came rushing back. His gaze ran over her quickly assessing the damage, the panic almost overwhelming him.

Stella's hands came up and gently grasped his face. "Don, look at me." She gently forced him to look at her, "Don, I'm ok. I'm ok." Her arms came around him to hold him tightly.

He wrapped his arms tightly around and buried his face in her hair as she tightened her arms around his body. Relief washed over him as he inhaled the scent of her. She was warm and real in his arms and smelled like sunshine.

Pulling back he gazed into her emerald green eyes, looking for that spark of life that was always there. It was dim, not near what is usually was, but there all the same. He moved his eyes over her face taking in the bruises and cuts that did nothing to detract from her beauty.

"I'm ok Don. Really." She smiled gently at him as he took a seat on the side of the bed with her.

"Are you sure Stella? You pretty much went through hell and back."

She nodded.

"Well whenever you're ready I'm gonna take your statement, get the story. No rush, when you're ready I'm here to take it down ok? But in the meantime I'm here for you. Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm ok. I want to do this now and get it over with. I…I can't remember everything. There are blank spaces…I-I don't know…I can't remember everything. I-I don't know what happened Don."

Flack wrapped her hand gently in his large one. "It's ok Stella. We don't have to do this now. We can wait…go slow. Take your time, no hurry ok?"

"Will you just stay here with me for awhile Don? Before I tell the story and I get processed. I-" her voice cracked with emotion. "I just need someone to lean on for awhile."

He smiled gently at her before wrapping his arm around her and tucking her to his side. "Alright Stella, I'm right here. We can stay like this as long as you want."

Stella slowly relaxed into him and sighed deeply as she laid her head on his shoulder. Flack sighed, his heart aching for her, as he felt her relax against him. She fit into his arms like she belonged there, as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that fit perfectly together. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He loved her with everything in him. She was beautiful, fiery, strong, and independent. She had been a great friend to him when he was going through a hard time, and he loved her even more for sticking by him. She had been there for him many times. He was going to be there for her through all of this….and hopefully for a long time after.

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Please Review! Thanks to all those who reviewed on chapter one :) You guys are amazing!


	3. Chapter 3

Oooh another chapter in one night. I'm on a roll lol. I was wanting to get another chapter done so I wrote the last one and then it just kept flowing…so I went with the flow. Hope ya'll like it.

Btw does anyone know what happened to Danny's glasses? Did they suddenly give him contacts? Cuz I miss his glasses. He looks hot in them!

Also I have to say…I watched last night's episode…again lol. It's amazing. I love seeing Flack play big brother and I just wanted to hug him when he played that song for his sister and she didn't answer him. He looked sad when he walked away…and again when he was standing outside the door watching her talk about her alcoholism…he looked so sad! But I'm loving that they are focusing on him…cuz more Flack is awesome! And he deserves to get some action lol. Well someone does cuz they aren't doing anything with Danny/Lindsay…so it might as well be our resident hottie detective right? Ok im done…onto the story!

Don held Stella's things for her as she fished through her purse for her apartment keys. Finally locating them she unlocked the door and pushed it open almost expecting Frankie to come jumping out at her again. Don followed her in watching her with that intense all seeing gaze. When she stopped at the blood in the bathtub he gently took her hand and pulled to the kitchen. Setting her things on the table he grabbed a glass from the dish drainer on the counter and filled it with water before handing it to her.

Shakily she took the glass from him before draining most of it. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath only to open them to meet cobalt blue eyes watching her with concern.

"You sure you'll be ok Stell?"

Nodding quickly she lied, "Yea. I'll be fine. I'd rather be here than in a hotel living out of a suitcase ya know?" she tried to laugh but it caught in her throat and came out sounding like she was desperately trying to hold it together

Flack watched her knowing she was barely holding it together, but was refusing to lean on someone for fear of being seen as weak. He would never see her as weak; she was the strongest person he knew. To go through all of this… and with everything that had happened to her in the past.

She gave him a weak smile. "I'll be fine Don. Don't worry alright?"

Sighing he wrapped her in a hug. "Alright Stell. You know you can call me anytime no matter what right? You need anythin' you let me know ok?"

She nodded against his chest. "Ok." Pulling back she looked up at him. "Thank you for everything Don. You're a great friend."

"That's my job Stell. And my job as a friend." He flashed his dimples at her. "Guess I'll see you later then. Get some rest, and remember if you need anythin' you call me."

"Thanks Don."

He turned to leave and she went to close the door behind him when it was suddenly stopped by his hand. Startled she pulled the door open again.

Stella looked at him questioningly as she moved aside to let him in again. "What is it Don?"

"Stella…Stell. I—" he cut off abruptly. Moving forward he grasped her arms and pulled her towards him. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock as he slid his hand into the hair at the back of her neck and his mouth covered hers. She resisted for a moment before surrendering to him and wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. Time seemed to slow, and Stella felt like they were moving in slow motion. The kiss was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. It was passionate, loving, and explosive, but gentle at the same time. She'd never had this with any other man, not even Frankie. She felt so safe and protected in his arms, more than she'd ever felt anywhere else.

They slowly separated and Flack leaned his forehead to hers, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves before he spoke. "Stella I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for a long time. It started a long time ago, soon after we met. And then it slowly developed into love. I look forward to seeing you everyday. It's like a ray of sunshine suddenly brightened everything around me. When I'm having a crappy day, all I need to do is see you and it makes the day seem like nothing bad happened."

Leaning back to see his face better she started to say something. "Don…"

"No, please let me get this out Stella. I never told you because I told myself it was better this way. We were good friends and we work together. I didn't want to mess up either of those relationships, especially our friendship. I told myself that you were out of my league and why you go for a guy seven years your junior. But…" his voice cracked, "When I saw you laying there on the floor, so still…I had no idea if you were alive and all I could think of was…I didn't tell her. Why didn't I tell her?"

Stella gently placed her hand on his cheek. He covered her hand with his leaning into her touch and closed his eyes. She waited for him to pull his emotions together so he could speak. When his beautiful blue eyes opened she could see the love swimming in the depths of his gaze. It shone out at her, wrapping around her battered heart, healing the broken pieces to make it whole again.

He spoke again. "I knew if I didn't tell you how I feel, and something did happen to you I would regret it for the rest of my life. And now even though I know you are ok, I have to take the chance because I know letting you go would be a mistake and I would regret it forever." Taking a deep breath he let it out slowly. "So here I am. Taking this chance. My heart is in your hands Stella. It belongs to you…it has for a long time. And I know it's soon. After everything you have been through in the last couple days…I don't want to rush you or push you into anything. We can take it as slow as you want to. Just know that I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

With that he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning to go their hands gently sliding apart. Stella watched him as he closed her front door quietly, before sinking down on her couch. She raised her hand to touch her lips and a smile spread across her face. He loved her! He really loved her…he could have any woman he wanted and he had picked her. But how did she feel about him?

She sighed as she looked around her apartment. Chairs were still overturned and things were out of place from being processed. It didn't feel like her place anymore. It had been invaded and she felt vulnerable here. Whereas it had always been her haven…now it felt cold and unwelcoming. It hadn't felt that way when Don had been here with her. She'd felt safe and protected, but now…she wanted to feel that way again. To have him wrap her up in those strong arms and just hold her.

She certainly had feelings for him…had for awhile. But she never would have thought that he returned them, so she had gotten together with Frankie. And well…that went south. Fear spread through her at the thought of what had happened. Stella struggled to push it away. The only person she trusted more than Mac was Don. She trusted him with her life. He would never hit a woman. He was a wonderful, loyal, strong, honorable man, a little old fashioned in some ways, but a total gentleman. She'd seen his reactions to her story, the anger that had been in her eyes when he heard what Frankie had done to her. She'd seen his frustration at not being able to take care of Frankie himself. She could come to love him quickly she knew.

Looking around her apartment again she had the overwhelming need to go to him, to be with him. So she followed her instincts.

Making her decision quickly before she changed her mind, Stella stood from the couch and headed for her bedroom. Pulling on some comfortable jeans and a plain white tank, she then grabbed a sweatshirt out of the closet and her sneakers. After dressing she grabbed her purse and keys and was out the door.

Please review! Thanks to all my reviewers and supporters of this story. You guys encourage me with everything you say. I'm so glad you like the story. Love ya'll!


	4. Chapter 4

First of all I'm sorry for not updating sooner! It's been kinda crazy lately…and my muse decided to go into hibernation for a little. This chapter was hard for me to get out. I just want it to be good and I hope I didn't let ya'll down.

Second I hope ya'll are having a good holidays. I'm looking forward to Christmas. Already have my tree up and everything! Haha I'm a dork LOL

Disclaimer: I don't own anything about or around CSI NY. I wish lol

Anywhoo! Hope ya'll enjoy!

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Stella stood nervously in front of Flack's door. It was quiet in his building and as she glanced at her watch she saw that it was really late…or early depending on how you looked at it. Doubt began to creep in and she turned to walk away before shaking herself and turning back around quickly. She knocked softly on the door before she could change her mind.

The door was pulled open to reveal a disheveled and rumpled Flack. His hair was slightly damp from a shower, sticking up in different directions like he'd been running his fingers through it. He had changed from his suit into an old pair of sweats and a wifebeater.

Blue eyes widened in surprise at seeing her and then filled with worry. "Stell? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

Her voice cracked as she looked sadly up at him. "I couldn't stay there Donny. It was supposed to be my haven, the one place where I could be safe…but it's not anymore." Tears spilled over to run down her cheeks. "I-I just couldn't stay there. It felt violated…and…and I was fine until you left. And then…I didn't feel safe at all…all the memories came rushing back." She put her hand to her mouth and tried to choke back a sob. "I…I…just need you to hold me. Please. I need to feel safe again. And I feel safe with you….no where else."

Flack's heart broke as he watched Stella try to stifle her sobs. She was always so strong and now she looked so broken, something he had never seen from her before. Gently grabbing her hand he pulled her into the apartment locking the door before walking her towards the couch. He sat down and pulled her sideways onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, he rocked back and forth, gently rubbing a hand up and down her back soothingly. He murmured soft nothings to her, just comforting as her body shook with gut wrenching sobs. Her sobs rattled him to the core. He knew Stella was broken from what had happened with Frankie. Anger filled him at the thought of the damage Frankie had done to Stella. If he could he'd bring Frankie back so he could kill him himself.

Slowly her sobs subsided to soft hiccoughs. Flack gently pushed her back, framing her face with his hands so he could look at her. Love for her rushed through him as she took a deep steadying breath. Wiping the tears from her face with his thumbs, he kissed her gently on the forehead. Her beautiful green eyes still swam with tears.

"Alright now?" he asked. She nodded at him. "Do you want anything? A glass of water? A beer? Whiskey?" He flashed a smile at her.

She gave a small laugh. "Just a glass of water please. Though keep the whiskey on hand just in case." He grinned at her, flashing the famous dimples.

Flack headed for the kitchen to get her request. He stood lost in his thoughts as he filled the glass of water. She'd shown up so unexpectedly. After he'd said his piece and left he hadn't expected to hear or see her so soon…if ever. She was way out of his league and with everything she had been through he didn't think he'd even have a chance. He would always love her and didn't regret telling her how he felt. If she hadn't made it through this ordeal, he would have regretted not telling her for the rest of his life. Going through all this with her made him realize how short life was and that he needed to tell her. Even if she didn't repay them, she would know how much she was loved. And that would make it all worthwhile.

He was startled out of his thoughts by a soft voice. "Don?"

Turning quickly he saw Stella standing the in the dim light of the doorway. Walking to her he went to hand her the glass, but she was still so shaken it started to slip from her fingers. He grabbed the glass quickly before it fell and gently to her hand in his to lead her back to the living room.

He set the glass on the coffee table before pulling Stella back down onto his lap. She pulled her legs up onto the couch and wrapped her arms around him burying her face in his neck. Inhaling his scent she sighed. He smelled like fresh soap and a hint of Old Spice. Staying here in his arms where it was safe sounded good to her. His hands gently ran through her hair, then up and down her back again just soothing her with his touch.

Stella sighed deeply and pulled back to look into his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes had captured her attention the first time she had met him. They were the first thing she noticed when she had looked up into his face as he introduced himself. The next thing she had observed about his baby blues was how they showed every emotion he was feeling. Looking into them now she could see the love he felt for her shining brightly. It shone so bright she almost gasped aloud, wondering how she hadn't seen it before now.

"Donny…"

"It's ok Stella. You don't haveta say anything now. I just wanna be here for you…"

"Donny…I've never felt safer with anyone that I do with you. I should have let you stay but I was afraid of looking weak. And then you said all those wonderful things…and I let you leave." She looked down at her hands briefly before looking back up at him. "Donny, I've had feelings for you for awhile. I tried to push them back, deny them. I told myself you were too young, that it wouldn't work because we worked together and because I didn't to ruin our friendship. You are so way out of my league why would you even look at me? So I buried my feelings by dating Frankie. But I was never truly happy with him…I knew I wasn't in love with him. "

Stella laid her hand gently on his cheek. "I think I could very easily love you Don Flack. You are the only person I trust more than Mac…but I'm still afraid. Is it ok if we just take this slow? And find out where it takes us?"

Flack pulled her down to meet his lips. This kiss was gentle, loving, and filled her with joy. She sighed as he deepened the kiss, tilting his head to the side and gently tracing her lips with his tongue.

Pulling back he stared into her luminous green eyes as he gently brushed her hair behind one ear. "I love you with all of my heart Stella. And I always will. I'll wait forever for you…till you're ready to love and be loved." Her eyes filled with tears again. "I'm not gonna rush because I know what we have is special and it needs to be taken care of. No regrets right? You're the most precious thing in the world to me. Let me show you what true love is. What it means. Through thick'n thin, ups and downs, highs and lows…that's what love is. Let me love you Stella."

Leaning forward he placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Her eyes closed in an attempt to stop her tears, but it was no use. He placed kisses on both eyelids before moving to each cheek. As he lovingly kissed away her tears, the broken pieces of her heart slowly began to mend.

Flack slowly kissed her chin, and then placed a gentle kiss on each side of her neck where it met her shoulders. His eyes welled up with tears as love for this woman swept through him. He loved her more than anything and seeing her in so much pain had nearly killed him. Gently grasping her hands he lifted towards his lips.

Stella opened her eyes as Don lifted her hands up. The tenderness with which he was bestowing each kiss made her heart ache. She loved this wonderful man in front of her. It had taken nearly dying for her to finally see it, but honestly she was thankful. He had been there through everything never leaving her unless it was absolutely necessary. Who better to fall in love with than your best friend?

He slowly kissed her left palm and as he kissed the right she felt something damp hit her palm. Gently wrapping her hand around the side of his face she lifted his head so she could look at him. The sight of his eyes speaking volumes and full of tears, she leaned forward to kiss him again, pushing all of her love into it.

Flack slowed the kiss down before pulling away to gaze into her eyes. He pushed her hair behind her ear, kissing her gently on the forehead again. Grabbing her hand he pulled her up from the couch, clicked the lamp off and headed for the bedroom.

Stella stopped abruptly when she saw where he was heading and anxiety filled her. Images of what Frankie had done filled her head and she gasped for air as her throat closed with panic. Her vision started to tunnel, the darkness threatening to swallow her.

Glancing back when he was pulled to a stop, Flack was shocked at how white Stella was. All the blood had drained from her face and she was gasping for air. "Stella! Stella, breathe honey. Come on baby take small breaths now. Calm down Stell, you gotta calm down." He quickly pushed her head towards the floor.

Air rushed into her lungs as she took a deep breath, the blood quickly rushing back to her head. Gasping she tried to take quick breaths but it just seemed to make it worse. Her eyes welled up with tears from the lack of air. A voice was saying something in her ear, but it was foggy, like it was far away, all she could hear were her harsh breaths and the blood pounding in her ears. She rested her hands on her knees and sound suddenly came rushing back to her.

Flack knelt down quickly so he could look up into her face. "Stell! Breathe honey, come on. That's it. Slow it down, slow it down baby. There you go." He coached her as she slowly got her breathing back under control as tears streamed down her face.

Pulling her upright he wrapped his arms around her, breathing a sigh of relief. The panic was fading slowly as he felt her start breathing normally. He pulled back to look at her, gently cradling her face in his hands.

"Alright? Stella what happened? One minute you're fine the next you're white as a sheet and not breathing."

Stella raised a hand to her forehead, rubbing gently. "I…I…I…just panicked. We started heading for the bedroom and all of a sudden I was having flashbacks of what happened with Frankie…and…I couldn't…control it. I'm sorry Donny. You know I trust you more than anyone. I…just…it's been so much so soon."

Sighing he pulled her close again. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to. Just sleep and cuddle. Nothing like that will ever happen again Stell. You have my word. I know you've been through a lot." He looked down into her face. "But I can promise you that I will never hurt you. Ever. Ok?"

She nodded against his chest. "I know. Sleeping and cuddling sounds like a good start. I trust you Donny."

"You know, you are the only one I ever let call me Donny…'cept my Ma of course." His dimples flashed as he grinned. "And that better never get out to anyone."

Stella laughed and hugged him tightly. "I promise." Holding up two fingers she said. "Scouts honor!"

Flack raised one eyebrow at her as he snorted. "You were never a girl scout."

"What are you talking about? Of course I was…Ok, no I wasn't." She giggled at the look on his face.

Flack smiled at the sound of her laughter ringing through his apartment before saying. "Although I bet you would look real cute in one of those uniforms." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed again as she swatted at him. "You perv!"

Flack laughed and wrapped an arm around her as he led her towards the bedroom. He left Stella standing by the bed as he dug through his drawers for a pair an old t-shirt for her to sleep in. Grabbing an old hockey jersey he handed it to her so she could change. Quickly turning his back so she could have some privacy, he picked his gun and badge off the dresser and locked them in his safe.

Turning back around his first thought was how amazing she looked in his shirt. It wasn't too long, hanging to mid-thigh. The second was curiosity at why she was sniffing it. "It should be clean Stell. Does it smell funny?"

Stella blushed furiously before answering. "No…it smells good." She ducked her head in embarrassment. "It smells like you. I like it."

Grinning he pulled the covers back and climbed in motioning for her to do the same. She climbed in and immediately moved over to him. He put one arm under her head so she could lay on it and he could wrap it around her. Pulling her close he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you Stella." His voice deepened as he spoke, slipping quickly into sleep.

Stella smiled against his chest. "I love you too." She closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless, contented sleep for the first time in a long, long time.

_**Fin**_

There it is. Complete. Hope you all liked it! Please, Please review! I wanna hear what you think.


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